


we're going to be friends

by PrettyYoungThing



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, strangers to friends to ?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:02:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28817514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyYoungThing/pseuds/PrettyYoungThing
Summary: The first time that Akaashi sees Bokuto, he is midflight.He watches from the gym's entryway as sneakers take off against hardwood paneling, thrumming in their excitement. The spiker's eyes are wild and spark with a ferocious determination that Akaashi's never seen before. He pushes off of the ground as the ball is sent upward, the muscles in his legs bunching with the effort, before he is in the air.Or, alternatively: a series of relatively standard first steps in a friendship, followed by a first step in something else entirely.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	we're going to be friends

**Author's Note:**

> oh no this mf writing about the comfort pairing in the middle of the night again someone help

The first time that Akaashi sees Bokuto, he is midflight. 

He watches from the gym's entryway as sneakers take off against hardwood paneling, thrumming in their excitement. The spiker's eyes are wild and spark with a ferocious determination that Akaashi's never seen before. He pushes off of the ground as the ball is sent upward, the muscles in his legs bunching with the effort, before he is in the air. 

His body draws back like the string of a bow, all tension and excitement, and the motion commands the attention of almost everybody in the gym. It's different, it's new. The boy's attention is focused wholly on the ball in front of him, and in a flash of movement, it is sent crashing to the floor. 

_He's like a shooting star_ , Akaashi marvels, and the thought is gone as quickly as it appears. 

When the boy is back on the ground - out of that zone which he was so quick to slip into - his power and control are better masked behind brazen excitement. He's quick to grin and pat himself on the back, it seems, something that would come across as arrogant if it wasn't so well-founded. 

Akaashi's decision is almost immediate; his first words to his father when he returns from work are that his mind is made up. Fukurodani is where he wants to be, where he will thrive. He will set to that boy from earlier. 

Determination courses through his veins as he falls asleep, humming with electricity beneath the skin of his arms and chest. 

\-----

The next time they meet is on Fukurodani's court. 

Bokuto is the first to approach, but this evokes little surprise. He's exuberant and outgoing, a textbook extrovert, and seems to hold few qualms about beginning conversations with others. 

Akaashi is busy cleaning the floor after practice, eyes trained on the floor as he goes. Conversation amongst team members provides a steady background hum, but he doesn't try to pick out any voices over the rest. Instead he focuses on cleaning, brushing away scuff marks left from slides and receives. 

A voice snaps him out of his lull. "Hey, uhh, Akashi-kun."

While Akaashi doesn't have the names of every person memorized yet, this one he knows quite well. Its reputation precedes it. _It's Bokuto Koutarou_ , he thinks, and lifts his head. 

Multicolored hair pokes to the right as Bokuto stands expectantly, head cocked and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. His expression is bright and eager, eyebrows shot up high atop wide golden eyes. Everything about his demeanor says "excited," but it always seems to, so this is in no way uncharacteristic. Bokuto is intriguing, with his bizarre hair and his unbridled energy.

"It's Akaashi," he corrects, not unkindly. 

Bokuto nods to himself as if to cement it in his head. His brows furrow for a moment before his face rights itself; his smile practically glows. A hand comes up to point at the net, which has yet to be taken down. "Could you please help me practice my spikes for just a little bit?"

Akaashi mulls this over for a moment - he's heard from a few different people that Bokuto often likes to stay after practice to perfect his spikes. He's almost merciless with it, apparently, calling for toss after toss after toss until he's red in the face and panting like a dog. (Another second-year, Konoha, was quick to warn him of this, and recommended that he turn the spiker down when the question was first proposed.)

He considers this quietly, and then chides himself at the thought. He came to Fukurodani in many ways because of the wild-haired boy standing a few feet away. His purpose in attending the school was not only to succeed academically, but also on the court, and this would never come to fruition if he was unwilling to put work in for it. 

Also, Bokuto has screwed his face into some sort of pleading stare, and it looks a bit convincing. Akaashi finds himself bizarrely charmed for a split second. 

"Sure, Bokuto-san," he acquiesces, and relaxes when the spiker's face assumes its trademark grin once again. 

"Wow, really? Gee, Akaashi, you're the best!" Bokuto is quick to take his place on the court. "I noticed you when everyone was first introducing themselves - like how you're a setter from Mori Middle School - and I totally knew that you would be a super-cool part of the team!"

Akaashi catches the pitying glance Konoha sends his way as he exits the gym alongside the rest of the team. He picks up a ball from the cart and runs a palm over its textured surface. It presses back against his skin firmly when he pushes against it with an index finger. 

_This doesn't seem so bad_ , he muses. 

(Half an hour and a frankly ridiculous amount of tosses later, he finds himself wiping away the sweat that beads across his forehead. The others hadn't lied about Bokuto's post-practice determination - he's persistent in his requests for _just another toss_ , _one more_ , _let me try again_ \- but Akaashi regards it all with a strange fascination. 

Rather than resentment at his current state of being, he feels a vague pull of interest. There's a lot to learn about this strange boy. It may be easy to dismiss his enthusiasm as simple-mindedness and his bravado as egoism, but Akaashi senses that more lies beneath. There's a hunger for the best, a determination to soar higher, and it's the same desire that broils in Akaashi's chest. 

They practice for the remainder of the hour, and part ways with the unspoken understanding that it would not be the final time they'd be the last two leaving the gym. Not by a long shot.)

\-----

The next time Akaashi sees Bokuto, the older boy is standing outside of his classroom when the lunch bell rings. 

"Hey, Akaashi!" Bokuto chimes, waving him over. "Want to eat lunch together? I can buy you a snack as payment for practicing with me yesterday."

Akaashi tilts his head. "I'd be happy to eat lunch with you, but you don't have to buy me anything. I enjoyed the extra practice."

"Sorry, but I'm going to buy you a snack no matter what. It's like, my duty as your upperclassman - or something!" Bokuto protests as they make their way down the hall. His voice booms through the corridor, drawing the occasional gaze from other students. 

Akaashi shakes his head one last time in an attempt to dissuade the other, but it's of no use; Bokuto pays for a sweet roll and places it in Akaashi's hand with a chuckle. They then find themselves on the roof of one of the shorter buildings, watching as birds swoop and dance above their heads. The sun is pleasantly warm across Akaashi's forehead and nose. 

Unsurprisingly, Bokuto is eager to accept the half of the roll that Akaashi tears off and offers to him. He crams part of it in his mouth and sighs happily as he chews. Akaashi is slower to eat it, but finds a funny sort of entertainment in watching the other devour his half. 

They sit there some days, and on others they find refuge in an empty classroom. Not once does Akaashi ever eat lunch alone. Sometimes on the day after a particularly good practice, they buy a sweet roll and tear it into halves. 

\-----

Akaashi begins to lose track of how often he sees Bokuto. 

The days become a comfortable blend of after-practice tosses and shared sweet rolls and rambling conversations. Bokuto never runs out of things to talk about, and Akaashi never grows bored of hearing him talk about them.

Somewhere along the line, they become friends. Good friends, even. 

\-----

Eventually, Akaashi invites Bokuto over to help him study.

He quickly learns that contrary to what seems to be popular belief, Bokuto isn't unintelligent. He's quick to speak without thinking and unsure of how to use certain long words, and is incredibly lacking in work ethic when it comes to homework, but he isn't unintelligent. 

Akaashi tells him this, and Bokuto grins so widely that it lights up Akaashi's whole room.

"You're the first person to tell me that in a long time," he laughs, and gestures down at the paper in front of him. "But tell that to my English test. I'm really bad at conjugating verbs."

Akaashi hums. "You are sometimes, but I can teach you things to make it simpler, and you're not bad at memorizing vocabulary. I'll help you with your homework, but you have to promise to work hard at it."

"I promise!" Bokuto clasps his hands together. "I'll study hard and get better!"

He keeps to his word, mostly. Akaashi ends up having to remind him to focus and try to complete sentences rather than sleep on the table, but things go considerably well. He can see that Bokuto is trying hard. 

The hour and a half passes by quickly, leaving the surface of Akaashi's desk covered in eraser shavings and Bokuto's paper covered with scribbled-out letters. It's not particularly easy work, but the tiny calls of "yes!" that Bokuto emits when he masters a word make things more bearable. 

When their study session comes to an end, Bokuto tells him that Akaashi is "super nice to spend so much time helping him with stuff." To this, Akaashi replies that it's no problem, and that he does it because he enjoys it. The words come as a surprise to himself as much as they do to Bokuto, but every one of them is genuine. 

He's rewarded with a beaming smile and a quick hug that leave him waving for an extra moment as Bokuto bounds out of their front door and down the sidewalk.

\-----

The first time that Akaashi sees Bokuto - sees him in a way that he had never anticipated - they're walking to Bokuto's house to play video games on a Friday afternoon. 

By all standard metrics of time, it's a relatively short occurrence. Bokuto is balancing on the edge of a curb as he walks, eyes fixed on the concrete below his shoes, arms held out at his sides to keep balanced. Akaashi walks beside him, listening as he chatters on about some movie that's coming out soon and he wants to see. 

Leaves on tree branches that line the sidewalk rustle jovially overhead, dappling their faces with flickering shadows. The few clouds that drift by are fluffy and white, interrupted only by the silhouette of a passing sparrow. 

The ambiance is broken when a young boy - six or seven, maybe - comes charging from behind them, causing Akaashi to wheel to the side and Bokuto to stumble off of the curb's edge. He's closely tailed by a girl of about the same age, her dress flapping merrily as she runs. Then her foot catches on a crack in the cement, sending her sprawling onto the sidewalk. She begins to wail, a shrill and unnerving sound. 

Akaashi stands still for a moment, unsure of what to do; the boy is no longer in sight, and no adults are around to offer solace to the now-crying girl. Despite this, Bokuto is at her side in a flash, knelt down so he can meet her eyes. Even from a distance, Akaashi can see the concern painted across his face.

"Did you get hurt?" He asks, hands planted on his knees and gaze searching for any signs of injury. 

She shakes her head, dark brown eyes still brimming with tears. 

At this, Bokuto shoots her an encouraging smile, all gleaming white teeth and scrunched eyes. "Good! Was it just scary, then?"

A nod. The girl wipes at her eyes and nose, sniffling. "Yeah. I was scared. Mom told me not to run in my sandals."

"Well, I'm sure your mom will understand," he says brightly. "That sidewalk tripped you up. I probably would have done the same thing!"

He pulls a face, which prompts the girl to burst into giggles. "You look silly!"

"Do I? Well, I would have looked a lot sillier if I tripped, don't you think?" Bokuto mimes tripping and falling, which sends her into further hysterics. Akaashi can't help but smile, too.

They wait for another minute or two, until a tall woman comes hurrying over, her hair waving in the breeze as she takes long strides to reach them. Worry flashes across her face when she sees the girl sitting on the ground. "Haruka! Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Mom, look! This is my friend - his name is Bokuto - and his friend, Akaashi!" The girl - Haruka - grins proudly, evidently satisfied with her new friends. Bokuto smiles up at the woman from where he kneels on the concrete and Akaashi bows his head in turn. 

The woman thanks them both many times, and ushers Haruka to her feet. She inspects her daughter's knees and elbows for any bruises or scrapes, and nods in satisfaction when she finds none. They bid the two boys goodbye, and Bokuto waves at the girl with extra fervor before they turn the corner. 

Akaashi gazes down at Bokuto for a moment. 

_There's so much I don't know yet_. 

In that moment, he feels a rushing desire to know all that he can about the boy crouched in front of him. Bokuto's face is still stretched in a beaming smile, his knees dirtied by the concrete and his hair mussed from his charades. He gets to his feet, slinging his bag back over his shoulder without bothering to dust off his knees. 

"That was nice of you, Bokuto-san," Akaashi says without thinking. 

Bokuto regards him quietly for a moment before breaking into a laugh. "Nah, I just love little kids. I guess I'm sort of a little kid myself, so it works out."

His eyes, flecked with gold, dance with mirth. Akaashi finds himself caught in their gaze. He's suddenly acutely aware of how Bokuto's eyelashes match the roots of his hair and his shirt wrinkled at the corner. He notices things that he had never paid mind to before, from Bokuto's hands to his scuffed shoes to his crooked grin, and realizes that they're all charming in their own odd little ways. 

_Bokuto's_ charming in his own odd little way. 

Akaashi feels a tug in his chest, a small flutter behind his ribs that he hasn't felt before. Not around Bokuto, at least.

"Wanna get going?" Bokuto asks, completely oblivious to the way his own eyes flicker in the afternoon sunlight. 

"Sure."

\-----

The next time that they buy themselves a sweet roll, Akaashi makes sure that Bokuto's half is a tiny bit bigger than his own.

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah, i don't expect this to get any traction or anything - the desire to write them just hit me like a BUS at like one in the morning. i should have probably just, ya know, worked on my 84k+ word fic that i'm in the middle of (haha surprise guess who's the main pairing there too haha so suspenseful) but evidently i am a mess who cannot do that. 
> 
> anyway i hope this didn't suck and if it did please do not tell me because while my ego is large it is also fragile


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